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Barrow AFC sign Fleetwood striker

FORWARD Danny Rowe has added much-needed weaponry to Barrow AFC’s attacking arsenal after signing on loan from Fleetwood until the end of the season.

New Barrow AFC loan signing Danny Rowe (left)

The 23-year-old former Manchester United trainee goes straight into the squad to partner Adam Boyes for the trip to Newport County tomorrow, with manager Dave Bayliss hopeful he can score some key goals for the club (3pm kick-off).

“He has been one that we have been after for a while,” said Bayliss, who missed out on Rowe to Stockport – where he has scored twice in 14 appearances on loan this term – at the start of the season.

“If he can reproduce the form we know he is capable of, then it will give us an extra boost for scoring goals, which is something we have lacked this season.

“He’s a bit more of a back-to-goal type of player. He will hold the ball up a little bit better and there is quite a difference (to Boyes).

“He’s a big lad, about 6ft 1in, 6ft 2in, so it gives us another dimension.

“You feel sorry for Boyesy at times, up front on his own, because you know he has to run channels, hold the ball up, so you feel a bit sorry for him.

“With Danny here, we can take the weight off him a little bit and he can hopefully chip in with some vital goals towards the end of the season like he did at Stockport last year.”

Bayliss compared Rowe – who shares a name with the winger who has played for the Bluebirds already this season and who will wear DL Rowe on his number 10 shirt – to former forward Andy Cook.

Cook struck up a productive partnership with Boyes last season before joining Grimsby and the Bluebirds boss is hopeful the same can happen with Rowe.

“People like Andy Cook are very hard to find – target men who score goals. That’s why we only had Cooky for as long as we did, because we knew when we got playing, he would get a move for himself.

“Danny Rowe is the same and we are grateful to Fleetwood that we could take him for the remainder of the season and hopefully he can help us out with some important goals.

“But it’s not all about him. It’s a team effort and hopefully we can provide him with the chances and he will chip in with those goals.”

Bayliss is keeping his fingers crossed the club will add at least one defender before tomorrow’s game as well, after the collapse of the planned deal for Stockport County defender Danny O’Donnell.

The 26-year-old had agreed a deal at Holker Street two weeks ago, but the now-lifted transfer embargo stood in the way.
The registration restrictions were lifted last week, but O’Donnell has now decided to stay with Stockport and fight for his place after the dismissal of boss Jim Gannon.

Bayliss has thus turned his attention to different targets and said: “It wasn’t to be with Danny. He’s had time to think, circumstances have changed and whereas two weeks ago he would have been our player, now he is not.

“We’ve got to move on to different targets now. We need a man in there, we need a big centre-half, maybe two. That’s what we’re looking for and if the price is right we will maybe get two or three more players in, but we have got to wheel and deal and rely on favours from people now.

“We’re hoping there will be more signings before the game as well, because you can’t go to maybe one of the best sides in the league with a back four as shaky as we have got.

“They don’t look like they are going to fill each other with confidence.

“We need help and hopefully the new players will come in and stabilise things a little bit.

“The players we’ve already got are not bad players – they’ve showed that in certain games – but I just think it is time for a change and we’ve got to do what’s right to get us out of the situation we are in.”

Barrow will have midfielder Richie Baker available again tomorrow after injury, with no other members of the 15-strong squad missing.